Wireless communication device haing variable gain device and method therefor

• US 20040121750A1
• Filed: 12/24/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Nation, Med
• Granted Patent: US 7,684,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/240.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/242 specially adapted for hand-held use
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/08 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path waveguide fed H01Q21/0037
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/28 varying the amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters

Abstract

Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a wireless device has an array of antennas. A signal is provided to one of the antenna by two variable gain amplifiers, one of which processes a signal that is shifted in phase compared to the signal processed by the other variable gain amplifier.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

an antenna array having a first antenna and a second antenna;

a phase shift element to provide an input signal to a first variable gain device; and

a second variable gain device, wherein an output signal of the first variable gain device is summed with an output signal of the second variable gain device and coupled to the first antenna.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first variable gain device comprises a variable gain amplifier.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a device selected from the group comprising:

a base station, a portable communication device, and an access point.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the phase shift element is adapted to shift the phase of a signal an amount ranging from about 1 degree to 180 degrees to provide the input signal.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 3, wherein the phase shift element is adapted to shift the phase of the signal about 90 degrees to provide the input signal.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the first variable gain device comprises an attenuator.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 6, wherein the first variable gain device comprises a bi-directional attenuator.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 1, further comprising a power combiner to sum the output of the first variable gain device and the out of the second variable gain device.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein an input signal to the phase shift element is substantially equal to an input signal to the second variable gain device.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the phase shift element comprises a hybrid phase splitter or an inductor-capacitor (LC) phase shift network.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the phase shift element comprises a transmission line.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the transmission line has a length that is approximately one-quarter of the wavelength of an input signal to the second variable gain device.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 1, further comprising a power splitter, wherein the power splitter provides an input signal to the phase shift element and the second variable gain device.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is adapted to dynamically vary the gain of the first variable gain device and the second variable gain device.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 14, wherein the wireless communication device is adapted to vary the gain of the first variable gain device independently of the second variable gain device.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a first antenna and a second antenna;

a first signal processing path comprising a first variable gain amplifier, wherein the first signal processing path receives an input signal and provides an output signal; and

a second signal processing path comprising a phase shifting element and second variable gain amplifier, wherein the second signal processing path receives an input signal and provides an output signal.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the output signal of the first signal processing path and the second signal processing path are coupled to the first antenna.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the phase shifting element is coupled to receive the input signal for the second signal processing path.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the phase shifting element is coupled to provide the output signal of the second signal processing path.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a third signal processing path comprising a third variable gain amplifier, wherein the third signal processing path receives an input signal and provides an output signal; and

a fourth signal processing path comprising a phase shifting element and fourth variable gain amplifier, wherein the fourth signal processing path receives an input signal and provides an output signal.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the output signal of the first signal processing path is summed with the output signal of the second signal processing path and provided to the first antenna.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the output signal of the third signal processing path is summed with the output signal of the fourth signal processing path and provided to the second antenna.

23. A method of providing a signal to a first antenna in an array of antennas, the method comprising:

providing an input signal to a first signal processing path and a second signal processing path, the first signal processing path comprising a variable gain amplifier, the second signal processing path comprising a variable gain amplifier;

shifting the phase of a signal in the second signal processing path; and

summing an output of the first signal processing path and an output of the second signal processing path.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein shifting the phase of a signal includes shifting the phase of the input signal in the second signal processing path.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein shifting the phase of a signal provides the output signal of the second signal processing path.

26. An article comprising a storage medium having stored thereon instructions, that, when executed by a computing platform, results in:

providing an input signal to a first signal processing path and a second signal processing path, the first signal processing path comprising a variable gain amplifier, the second signal processing path comprising a variable gain amplifier;

shifting the phase of a signal in the second signal processing path; and

summing an output of the first signal processing path and an output of the second signal processing path.

27. The article of claim 26, wherein shifting the phase of a signal includes shifting the phase of the input signal in the second signal processing path.

28. The article of claim 26, wherein shifting the phase of a signal includes shifting the phase of the input signal in the second signal processing path.